


The Princess and the Soldier

by Thimblerig



Series: The Tenner [9]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Fic & Podfic, Podfic, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes, Rain, Sound Effects, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-02-23 09:09:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23509105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thimblerig/pseuds/Thimblerig
Summary: Day 5 - Before the Storm
Relationships: The Flower Princess (OC)/The Top-Knotted Soldier (OC)
Series: The Tenner [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1680610
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5
Collections: The Tenner





	1. Chapter 1

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**The Princess and the Soldier**

* * *

“Before the storm,” the princess said sadly, “I was going to travel to the Star of the Mountains, the Lotus City, the Enclosure of Seven Walls, and marry the Emperor in his tall house.” She sneezed into her long, full sleeve. Her knee-length hair was dripping.

The soldier was short and stocky, and her quilted armour dripped steadily; her top-knotted hair was sodden under its cloth kerchief. Black eyes watched the princess, inscrutable, intent. “Before the storm,” said she, _“I_ was travelling to the border, to fight the barbarians in the mountains, and storm their high flower city.”

“Humph!” said the princess.

The soldier shrugged. It was dark in the cave, and the rain outside poured thunderous loud and the thunders fell multitudinous as rain. But there was a hearth there, also, for wayward travellers, and the soldier knelt by it, sparking little lightnings of flame with her quick, callused fingers.

She heard a tearing sound, and kept her head turned discreetly away as the princess ripped several layers of dry petticoat out from under her skirts. When the fire was well begun and burning small but brave against the night, the soldier turned and found a length of bright lustrous silk handed to her, folded like an exquisite flower, to use as a towel.

“I am a princess,” said the princess, “and it is not _proper_ to sit with a lowly soldier, especially not a barbarian invader like you. But…”

The soldier dried her face and shifted, still kneeling, to make space.

They sat by the fire and listened to the rain.

Presently one said, “I have dates to eat, wrapped up well and dry.”

And the other said, “I have a comb, if you take down your ridiculous stubby coiffure.”

The rain fell down, drowning the world.

“This storm might last forever,” one said.

“I hope so,” said the other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Programs Used: Audio Evolution; Logopit Plus; Music Editor
> 
> Cover image: https://publicdomainvectors.org/en/free-clipart/Vector-graphics-of-swirling-petals-floral-design/34665.html 
> 
> Music/FX:   
> “Simple piano improvisation” by ValentinSosnitskiy - https://freesound.org/people/ValentinSosnitskiy/sounds/431520/ (CC BY 3.0)  
> “Rain on Windowpane 2” by Owl - https://freesound.org/people/Owl/sounds/187655/ (CC BY 3.0)  
> "05_Flint and steel.wav" by 16FThumaF_Fire https://freesound.org/people/16FThumaF/sounds/499027/ (CC0)   
> “Thunder Long 1” by Samulis - https://freesound.org/people/Samulis/sounds/242015/ (CC0)


	2. The Podfic

* * *

Click [here](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FOgLbKiKJwkqfySTRhfHrr9w1g3LzniV/view?usp=drivesdk) to stream or download :-) 

* * *

Format: MP3  
Length: 3.26  
Size: 6.07 MB


End file.
